As described in the above-referenced '920 application, substantially all service facilities that are accessible by a telecommunication link, such as but not limited to a phone line, steer incoming calls to a computer workstation that is attended by an individual typically known as a call handler. Running on the workstation or an associated server is one or more application programs used by the call handler, call agent, operator and the like (hereafter referred to simply as a call handler), to process calls in a manner that is efficient and satisfying to the calling party.
As a non-limiting example, in the case of a catalog order center, a ‘target’ application program will typically graphically display an order or business ‘form’ on the call handler's terminal display. The displayed form contains respective information fields, through which the call handler sequentially ‘tabs’ and which are filled in by the call handler, based upon answers to a series of questions (such as name, address, phone number, item number, quantity, etc.), which the call handler speaks to the calling party. Because this repeated interactivity on the part of the call handler for multiple calls tends to be monotonous, and labor intensive, adversely affecting call handling efficiency, call handling facilities are continuously seeking schemes that will allow as much of the call handler's workload as possible to be automated.
One scheme that has enjoyed widespread usage throughout the telecommunication industry for providing relief for a call handler or operator servicing incoming calls at an operator position is embodied in a device known as a ‘personalized response system’, and is the subject of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,697,282 and 4,623,761, assigned to the assignee of the present application and the disclosures of which are herein incorporated. In accordance with this personalized voice message retrieval and playback device, an operator will prerecord commonly used phrases in a controllably accessible voice message storage and retrieval (VMSAR) mechanism (hereinafter referred to as a VMSAR mechanism. These phrases are then available for playback to a calling party (and simultaneously heard by the operator via the operator's headset) in the course of the operator's handling of a call. Playback may occur automatically, in response to initial signaling information contained in the incoming call, or manually by the operator manually invoking one or more inputs to the playback device. Because the prerecorded voice messages are played back in the voice of the operator, the calling party proceeds through the call in a straightforward and expeditious manner, perceiving that it is always the operator who is speaking.
Although the patented VMSAR mechanism works very well for its originally intended usage, and in a limited scope of additional applications, it has been found that as the number of messages and degree of complexity of the operator's responsibilities increase, especially with the use of personal computer-based workstations running multiple windows-type programs, it becomes more difficult for the call handler to remember all the sets of keystrokes which access the various messages. While a list of keystroke combinations could be provided, having the operator look up which keystrokes are to be used would inherently delay the processing of the call. Even if the operator knows or can find what keystroke combination is to be used, there is the possibility of an incorrect or unintended key operation, which may cause either no message or the wrong message to be played back. Realistically, therefore, the call handler cannot be expected to remember and use more than a relatively small number of keystrokes before confusion becomes an inhibiting factor.
Pursuant to the invention disclosed in the '920 application, problems associated with conventional call handler workstations are effectively obviated by a call handler-interactive mechanism, that automatically triggers playback of selected voice messages that have been pre-recorded via a personalized response system-based voice message storage VMSAR mechanism, in response to a call handler performing a prescribed interaction, such as a tab keystroke or mouse click, with one or more elements, such as ‘control objects’ displayed on a GUI of the call handler's terminal. To provide voice communication connectivity with an external network, the workstation may be coupled to a private branch exchange (PBX) or switch. The PBX or switch is also coupled to the VMSAR mechanism through the voice terminal.
The GUI generated on the workstation display may comprise, for example, a ‘windows’ type user interface, generated by an underlying call handling application program that may be running on the workstation's computer or on a separate server. The GUI typically contains a plurality of fields, buttons, and the like, in which information may be keyboard entered by the call handler, in the course of servicing a call, such as one placed to a catalog order center. The '920 invention reduces the workload on the part of the call handler, by integrating with or into the target program software a GUI-associated, event-driven VMSAR mechanism.
The GUI is continuously monitored for the occurrence of prescribed events—corresponding to the call handler performing a prescribed interaction with a selected control object in the target program. As non-limiting examples, such GUI interaction may include placement of the display screen cursor arrow anywhere within the perimeter of the control object and a click of the ‘left’ mouse button, depression of the ‘enter’ key on the keyboard when a displayed reticle is placed upon a control object, operation of the ‘tab’ key that moves the cursor from object to object in the GUI, and the like.
When a desired event is raised, a digital (voice message playback) control message packet is generated, to specify a message number of a selected voice message to be played back by the VMSAR mechanism to the calling party. Each personalized voice message is predefined in accordance with the respective control objects of the displayed business form to be completed by the call handler. In large majority of instances, the phrases are brief questions that prompt the calling party to provide information to be entered into a particular field of the GUI.
In order to expedite the processing of a call, a respective control message packet is transmitted to the VMSAR mechanism immediately in response to a desired interaction of the call handler with a GUI control object. In a typical case, the control object of interest would be an empty information field, so that the VMSAR mechanism would be immediately triggered to generate the voice message associated with that field. However, the field of interest may already contain alpha-numeric text, such as may be obtained from calling ID capability of the telecommunication service provider, that has allowed the call handler application program to have already preliminarily entered text information in one or more fields prior to the call handler beginning a dialogue with the calling party. In this case, the call handler may simply confirm the accuracy of the filled-in information with the party. It will then be up to the call handler to either speak to the party, or interactively advance the cursor, for example, to the next empty field, which raises an event that triggers an associated voice message playback from the VMSAR mechanism.
In addition to triggering the playback of a prescribed voice message by the VMSAR mechanism, the '920 invention may also cause the words of that voice message to be displayed in a preselected dialogue/text box within the GUI, to confirm to the call handler that the intended message has been played back to the caller. A visual indication of the state of a control object may also be supplied, by means of a label, such a solid color region, placed immediately adjacent to the control object, to indicate the presence of an associated voice message. When the VMSAR mechanism is triggered, the background (e.g., color) of the label is changed, to indicate that the message has been played back. The label may then act as a button to be selectively triggered by the call handler.